6 Divine Flavors of Deities
The worship of divine beings is not simply relegated to those powerful beings of the Outer Planes, but also to the powerful beings of the Elemental Planes and even to the spirit and ideas of a concept. Too often are Game Masters and players looking only at the divine beings labeled as ‘gods, goddesses, and goddex’ that they fail to realize that a deity doesn’t just have to be some holy creature in the Outer Planes who grants a few spells to their clerics.
Regardless of a deity’s designation, they can only live if they are worshiped, if their worship ever stops their body turns into a lifeless husk and is ejected into the Astral Plane where they must wait for eternity in a dead-like state until they are once again remembered. If it weren’t for the Astral Plane being infinite in expanse, then travelers would quickly realize that dead gods aren’t that uncommon out in the Silver Sea.
No one knows how much worship is required to keep a deity alive, but many have tried to steal the worship of another or kill off the worshipers with varying degrees of success.
The major types of deities are listed below, but there may be more that are as yet unknown.
Gods
The divine beings who are closely aligned to the Outer Planes and often have a home among them. These divine beings command most of the worship and control large temples across many worlds. They rarely travel from their homes in the Outer Planes, not willing to make the first move in the cosmic game of fates that they take part in.
To push their agendas on the world, they grant power to their clerics, sometimes even granting powerful magic that can only be cast once in a cleric’s life known as a Quest Spell.
Souls
For whatever reason, souls seem to be under the purview of these Powers, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ones who want them. Every other power in this list is seeking souls, as souls can be used as a sort of battery to supercharge a divine being in times of need. Of course, this destroys the soul, and so the gods rarely use them as such.
Most of the time, when someone dies, their soul will first be judged by a psychopomp, most likely a god like the Raven Queen, and then sent to a corresponding plane in the Outer Planes based on how the soul is judged. Once a soul has arrived in the Outer Plane, they are reformed as a petitioner and may be claimed by a god to join its domain, otherwise the petitioner just begins life anew, maybe in a random domain, or in a neutral land on the plane not under the direct claim of any god.
Example: Azrael, the Winged Mother
Power: Goddess & Psychopomp / Alignment: Neutral
Domains: Grave, Life, Light
Worshipers: Grave Diggers, Morticians
Symbol: Wings
Azrael acts as the psychopomp for Talia, guiding the souls of those who die safely to their afterlife in the multiverse. She holds no grudges or treats any soul differently based on their past deeds, but simply guides them to whichever power or plane lays claim to the soul. She believes in forgiveness, that no one should be forgotten, and provides love and kindness to all souls that pass through her hands.
Primordials
These are the ultimate entities of the Inner Planes and are seen as the divine parents of the elements, mostly worshiped by the genies and other elemental-tied people. Most people who live on the Material Plane mistrust primordials as they have a reputation for constant change and seeking the potential destruction of worlds across the Material Plane.
Of course, not every primordial seeks to destroy the world, and many who do, don’t even see it as a bad thing. It’s the natural order of things to be created, destroyed, and then rebuilt again. A wave crashes across the shore, turning the boulders into sand as wave after wave smashes and destroys. So a primordial sees their relationship to the worlds as envoys of change and transformation.
Souls and Elements
The Inner Planes provide divinity with physical proof, the opposite of the Outer Planes which operate on belief. For reasons unknown, this means that souls can not have eternal rest in the Inner Planes, but instead brought to the Outer Planes. Perhaps this is because there are no primordial psychopomps, or perhaps because souls rely on too much belief than the physical nature of the elements can provide.
Regardless, the only way that souls can stay on the Inner Planes is if they are dragged against their wills, or they are transformed into a physical item that imprisons them, like a soul coin or soul gem.
Ever since the divine war between the gods and primordials, ending with many primordials locked away in prisons, primordials have been gathering souls for the single purpose of gaining enough power to break out of their prisons.
Example: Mudanco, the World Maker
Power: Primordial / Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Tempest
Worshipers: Cultists, Druids
Symbol: Lightning Bolt
Often thought to be the father of elements and the original crafter of Talia. It’s rumored that he once attempted to destroy his creation but spies informed the gods, and even a few primordials, of his imminent betrayal, and he was imprisoned somewhere in Talia. Most believe he is trapped somewhere on Katalyn since it was once a remote island that had few inhabitants. Many primordials would like nothing more than to release him from his prison and allow him to reshape the world again, though several are still opposed to how quickly he would cause change. He has an active cult seeking out his prison so that they may break the seals binding him.
Daemons
Powerful spirits that require a willing mortal body to walk the world as they have no physical form themselves, a daemon is more spirit than god. Daemons often occupy a worshiper for a few hundred years before finding another suitable body to possess. While their power is much more limited than the gods or primordials, they are far more likely to take a personal approach to world events, shaping them with divine influence.
In addition, they have no home in the Outer Planes. They are immortal spirits with great power, but their strength is limited to the Material World they are native to and can’t leave it. Some believe that they might be powerful undead or fiend creatures, but there is no proof of that claim. They are simply powerful spirits that must have a host they possess or can’t impact the world.
Souls and Spirits
Daemons can’t hold on to souls, but they still seek them out. When they possess a worshiper, it doesn’t immediately kill the worshiper but does start blending the worshiper’s soul into the daemon. After a certain amount of time, typically a few decades, the worshiper’s soul is wholly consumed by the daemon, empowering the possessing spirit. This empowerment lasts for hundreds of years, and when this extra power runs out, a daemon is typically searching for another host to possess.
While a worshiper is possessed, they have little say in what the daemon does, but the host body does gain immense strength and power. Many stories of ancient heroes can be attributed to the hero being possessed by a daemon.
With that said, some daemons are constantly jumping from host to host, in a bid to not devour the worshiper’s soul. They may only spend a few days or months in the body, before moving on to another host.
Example: Dhanar, the King Killer
Power: Daemon / Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Domains: Death, Knowledge, Tempest, Trickery
Worshipers: Monasteries, Gangs
Symbol: Mask, Vial
Dhanar is a malicious and evil daemon that was formed when a god attempted to kill another in the dark of night. He has taken on the moniker of the King Killer and was renowned for blinding speed and exotic poisons. He could be hired by any with enough platinum and is responsible for slaughtering hundreds if not thousands. The assassins who follow him understand that showmanship is a part of their duties and that simply completing a job isn’t enough, the killing must be extravagant.
Numen
Sometimes, a Power appears, created from concepts, and only has power thanks to the unconscious energies fed to this newborn spirit from its worshipers. Numina rarely have a body and are most often found inhabiting an object like the Moon, a mountain, or even something small like a crown or sword.
These are the least understood of the powers and their abilities are untested as they rarely respond to prayers. They are also the hardest to kill as their worshipers may not even realize they give worship, because who pays attention when they think thoughts of the moon and how beautiful it is? This attention is enough to keep the Numen alive and to give it some power in the world.
Souls and Thought
Some scholars believe that numina are the souls of creatures who are attracted to certain objects, like a moongazer’s soul will become absorbed by the location of their attention. A crown, in this situation, might be all of the souls of the kings and queens who wore the crown, and so in death, their soul infuses the crown with their spirit and power.
Example: Mykane of the Contracts
Power: Numen / Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Domains: Death, Knowledge, Order
Worshipers: Assassins, Clerks, Lawyers
Symbol: Quill, Scroll
Created when the first deal was struck on Talia, this entity is largely unknown to the population at large and draws its power from promises and pacts. While little is known about this spirit, many believe that it is somehow inexplicably linked to Dhanar and keeps that daemon, and others like him, in check. While some assassins are known to worship Mykane, or at least invoke its spirit, just as many may curse its name for keeping them bound to their contracts.
Elder Evils
These deities are the aberrations found in The Beyond or Far Realm, the realm that exists outside of the multiverse. Most are twisted and evil with a focus on the destruction and consumption of the multiverse, though this title applies to any power whose birth was in the Far Realm. If there were creatures before the multiverse who helped to create it, they would be technically elder evils, even though they may call themselves gods, primordials, or other titles.
For the most part, elder evils are so named due to their cults spreading evil and suffering throughout the worlds. As they exist in a dimension outside our own understanding, even gazing on such creatures is enough to break the minds of most mortals, and even some immortals too. What they ultimately want is foreign to our understanding, but whatever it is, it probably isn’t for the betterment of the multiverse.
Souls and Aberrants
Consumption. An elder evil only seeks to consume, tearing souls apart and devouring their essence. Luckily for the multiverse, it is incredibly hard to leave the multiverse and enter the Far Realm, but not impossible. For the most part, elder evils can not enter the multiverse fully, but rather rely on their envoys and spawn to spread their name and attempt to create a hole in the multiverse and let the Elder Evil in.
Example: Loznny, the Wyrm of Worms
Power: Elder Evil / Alignment: -
Domains: Trickery
Worshipers: Aberrants, Cultists
Symbol: Worms
Found in The Beyond, Loznny is attempting to grow its presence in the multiverse by sending worms carrying plagues and disease past the protection of the Void and onto the Material Plane. The spawnlings are said to arrive on comets that originate in The Beyond, protecting themselves from destruction by hibernating inside of the flying rocks, and then only awakening once they crash land on a planet or plane. The spawnlings then get to work on creating holes in the multiverse for Loznny to travel through.
Totemic
These deities only have power based on the size, quality, and quantity of their totems, holy symbols, statues, and other physical representations. The bigger the totem, the higher the power - though this is also based on the materials used and how well crafted it is. A thousand plain wooden holy symbols will strengthen the totemic deity, but it won’t match the power from a mastercraft holy symbol made of silver and pearl inlays.
Because they have a physical representation that grants them power and strength, this leads to many wars between different totemic deities where they, and their worshipers, attempt to kidnap and destroy other deities. It isn’t uncommon for an army to break into a city’s center, and instead of first killing the enemy leaders, they first steal or destroy any statues of the city’s totemic deity.
This constant ebb and flow in power makes a totemic deity very sensitive to its mortality. It does all it can to convince its worshipers to create symbols, statues, and more, and hide many of the finest creations in secret places.
Souls and Totems
Just as these deities require totems to realize their power, worshipers will have their bones carved with the deity’s holy symbol in a multitude of variations. By completely covering the bones in holy symbols, scripture, and more; the soul is pledged to the totemic deity and the deity can lay claim to the soul. This soul still travels to the Outer Planes, but it forever is linked to the totemic deity and may be called upon in times of great need by the totemic deity.
This is also why many place tattoos of their totemic deity on themselves. By making themselves a totem of their deity, they are that closer to it, and some even claim they can feel the souls of their ancestors and communicate with them directly, as they are all linked to the same totem. The complete loss of a totemic deity is devastating as it also, typically, entails the destruction of all souls linked to the totemic deity.
Example: Carnar, the Stacked Skull
Power: Totem / Alignment: LE
Domains: War
Worshipers: Berserkers, the Carnaian tribe
Symbol: Smashed skulls
With a thirst for power and conquest above all else, Carnar is quickly rising to be one of the most powerful totemic deities on Talia. Their followers are responsible for sudden and brutal attacks, charging in on destriers empowered by their totemic deity to move with increased speed and strength. When Carnar’s followers attack a settlement, they seek to destroy any totem devices they find, and then begin building Carnar’s totems from the skulls of their victims. After every settlement is conquered, the only thing left behind is a tower of crushed skulls coated in crystalized blood to preserve the totem and ensure that it never crumbles from age or time.
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